. Insect architecture. Insects. HO INSECT ARCHITECTURE. detached it from the tree by their mandibles, and then, as usual, passed it from the first leg to the second, and so on. When one bee had thus collected its load, another often came behind and despoiled it of all it had collected ; a second and a third load were frequently lost in the same manner ; and yet the patient insect pursued its operations without manifesting any signs of anger*. Probably the latter circumstance, at which Mr. Knight seems to have been surprised, was nothing more than an instance of the division of labour so striki
. Insect architecture. Insects. HO INSECT ARCHITECTURE. detached it from the tree by their mandibles, and then, as usual, passed it from the first leg to the second, and so on. When one bee had thus collected its load, another often came behind and despoiled it of all it had collected ; a second and a third load were frequently lost in the same manner ; and yet the patient insect pursued its operations without manifesting any signs of anger*. Probably the latter circumstance, at which Mr. Knight seems to have been surprised, was nothing more than an instance of the division of labour so strikingly exemplified in every part of the economy of bees. It may not be out of place here to describe the apparatus with which the worker-bees are provided for the purpose of carrying the propolis as well as the pollen of flowers to "the hive, and which has just been alluded to in the observations of Mr. Knight. The shin or middle portion of the hind pair of legs is actually formed into a triangular basket, admirably adapted to this design. The bottom of this basket. &ruc(ur« of the legs of (he Bee for carrying propolis and * Philosophical Trans, for 1807, p. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Rennie, James, 1787-1867. London, M. A. Nattali
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1846
